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Stephen Colbert on Trump's international diplomacy: ‘A highest-bidder approach'

Stephen Colbert on Trump's international diplomacy: ‘A highest-bidder approach'

The Guardian14-05-2025
Late-night hosts mock corruption in Donald Trump's presidency after his first international visit to Saudi Arabia and acceptance of a $400m luxury plane from Qatar.
Trump made his first international trip of his second term on Tuesday, to the nation of Saudi Arabia. 'A president visiting Saudi Arabia on his first official trip is a bit unusual,' said Stephen Colbert on the Late Show. 'Normally, back when we had normal, presidents would make their first international trip to the UK or Canada or any close ally.
'But like everything, Trump's decision seemed to come down to a highest-bidder approach,' Colbert continued. As Trump said in March: 'Last time I went to Saudi Arabia, they put up $450m …'
Colbert broke out his Trump impression: 'OK, I'm going around the palace with a big bag. C'mon, just drop your bribe right in. Qatar gave me a jet – can you beat a jet?'
On Tuesday, Trump received a lavish welcome in Riyadh, where he was escorted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to a McDonald's semi truck. 'Of course, one of the most rewarding things about traveling the globe is getting the chance to sample the local nugget truck,' Colbert joked.
The crown prince, Colbert reminded, ordered the murder and dismemberment of Washington Post columnist and Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. Trump, however, described him as such: 'I like him a lot. I like him too much, that's why we give so much, you know? I like you too much.'
Or as Colbert translated via Trump impression: 'You're like the son I never had.'
On Late Night, Seth Meyers reacted to a statement from Trump that he was 'thinking of flying over' to Turkey to join Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy for peace talks over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
'Oh, were you?' Meyers said. 'Ok, I guess let us know. These are peace talks to prevent the escalation of a war in Europe and you're treating it like it's your neighbor grilling – 'Oh, maybe I'll come by, you're not doing veggie burgers are ya?''
During a press conference on Monday, Trump said that if China had signed a trade deal during his first term, the Chinese 'would be able to buy products that they've never been able to buy'.
'I'm sorry, you think they want stuff from us?' Meyers scoffed. 'They have iPhones. We have cars that can't get wet,' like the Tesla Cybertruck.
And on Sunday, Trump's health and human service secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, shared photos of himself and his grandchildren swimming in a Washington creek that is contaminated with sewage and bacteria. 'You know, I used to think it was crazy that he had a brain worm,' said Meyers. 'But now I think it's crazy that he's only had one.'
Qatar is helping Trump take his Middle East corruption tour to new heights pic.twitter.com/kXAFmDcDZ2
And on the Daily Show, Jordan Klepper also recapped Trump's first international trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. 'You might be wondering: why did Trump pick these countries for his first foreign trip?' he said. 'Well, there's a strong geopolitical balance that – I'm fucking with you. Corruption!'
As Klepper noted, the Trump Organization has construction projects in each of the three countries. 'I never thought I'd say this, but can't these countries go back to something more constructive, like funding terrorism?
'But Donald Trump doesn't see any of these 'business conflicts' as a problem,' he continued. 'If anything, he's taking conflicts to a new height,' with the acceptance of a luxury 747 jet worth $400m from the state of Qatar. The plane would serve as Air Force One, then allegedly be decommissioned and transferred to Trump's presidential library once he leaves office.
'I think we can stop pretending that this plane will be transferred to his presidential library,' Klepper laughed. 'This is like the news reporting your aunt is bringing her 'good friend Linda' to Thanksgiving.'
More pressingly, 'apart from being a security concern and a potential bribe, it seems clearly unconstitutional to give the president a gift like this. But what do I know?' According to Trump's attorney general, Pam Bondi, the gift is legally permissible as Trump is not giving Qatar anything in return – at least, in the first 36 hours.
It's worth noting, though, that before becoming attorney general, Bondi worked as a foreign lobbyist for the nation of Qatar, earning $115k a month. 'It looks bad,' Klepper joked, 'but if you have to understand: that's a lot of money, and money feels good to have and to spend. So now I get it.'
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Israel to call up around 60,000 reservists before planned offensive on Gaza City, says Israeli military official – Middle East crisis live
Israel to call up around 60,000 reservists before planned offensive on Gaza City, says Israeli military official – Middle East crisis live

The Guardian

timean hour ago

  • The Guardian

Israel to call up around 60,000 reservists before planned offensive on Gaza City, says Israeli military official – Middle East crisis live

Update: Date: 2025-08-20T16:12:11.000Z Title: Israel', 'will call up around 60,000 reservists before a planned offensive to take Gaza City but most forces that would operate in the Gaza Strip's largest urban centre would be active duty soldiers, an Israeli military official said on Wednesday. Content: Call-up notices sent as Israeli plans to increase its offensive; Israel studies Hamas' response to proposal for 60-day ceasefire Tom Ambrose (now) and Charlie Moloney (earlier) Wed 20 Aug 2025 18.12 CEST First published on Wed 20 Aug 2025 13.22 CEST From 1.22pm CEST 13:22 Good afternoon, Israel will call up around 60,000 reservists before a planned offensive to take Gaza City but most forces that would operate in the Gaza Strip's largest urban centre would be active duty soldiers, an Israeli military official said on Wednesday. The call-up notices could be sent in the coming days, with reservists to report for duty in September, the military official said. 'Most of the troops that will be mobilised in this new stage will be active duty and not reservists,' said the official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity. It comes as Israel is studying Hamas' response to a proposal for a 60-day ceasefire and release of half the hostages still held in Gaza, two Israeli officials said on Tuesday, although one source reiterated that all Israeli captives must be freed for the war to end. Elsewhere: Prime minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday that he treats leaders of other countries with respect after his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu attacked him over his decision to recognise a Palestinian state. 'I don't take these things personally, I engage with people diplomatically. He has had similar things to say about other leaders,' Albanese said during a media briefing. A 58% majority of Americans believe that every country in the United Nations should recognise Palestine as a nation, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, as Israel and Hamas considered a possible truce in the nearly two-year-long war. 33% of respondents did not agree that UN members should recognise a Palestinian state and 9% did not answer. German prosecutors have charged a Russian national they suspect of planning an attack on the Israeli embassy in Berlin and of trying to join militant organisation Islamic State, they said on Wednesday. Prosecutors believe the accused, identified only as Akhmad E. in line with German privacy rules, obtained instructions from the Internet on how to make explosives but the plan failed as he could not get the components he needed. Updated at 1.50pm CEST 6.12pm CEST 18:12 Israel will call up around 60,000 reservists before a planned offensive to take Gaza City but most forces that would operate in the Gaza Strip's largest urban centre would be active duty soldiers, an Israeli military official said on Wednesday. The call-up notices could be sent in the coming days, with reservists to report for duty in September, the military official said. The mayor of the nearby Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, Guy Yifrach, confirmed that Israel has approved a major settlement project on Wednesday in an area of the occupied West Bank that the international community has warned threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state. Israel's approval of a key settlement project in the West Bank undermines the chances of a two-state solution, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has said in a statement. The approval of the project in the area known as E1 'fragments… geographic and demographic unity, entrenching the division of the occupied West Bank into isolated areas and cantons that are disconnected from one another, turning them into something akin to real prisons,' the PA's foreign ministry said in a statement. International aid groups say they have not yet been able to deliver shelter materials to Gaza despite Israeli authorities saying they have lifted restrictions on such supplies, and warn that further delays could cause more Palestinian deaths. Some 154 pallets of humanitarian aid have been airdropped in the Gaza Strip today, according to the IDF. Aircraft from Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Singapore and Indonesia dropped the pallets, containing several hundred kilograms of food, according to The Times of Israel. Israel is 'killing all prospects' for peace in the Middle East, Jordan's foreign minister has said amid escalating international outrage over Israel's plans for a new large-scale offensive in Gaza City and plans to massively expand Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Ayman Safadi made his remarks during a visit to Moscow on the same day that the Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, approved a plan to conquer Gaza City, an urban area home to hundreds of thousands of people in the north of the Palestinian territory. President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday imposed sanctions on two judges and two prosecutors at the International Criminal Court, as Washington kept up its pressure on the war tribunal over its targeting of Israeli leaders. Washington designated Nicolas Yann Guillou of France, Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji, Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal, and Kimberly Prost of Canada, according to the US Treasury and State Department, Reuters reported. A fire broke out near Iran's Tabriz airport on Wednesday, with heavy smoke hanging in the city's sky, Iran's Fars news agency reported, adding operations to control the fire are ongoing. Syria's foreign minister met Israel's strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer in Paris on Tuesday to discuss security arrangements in southern Syria, two Syrian sources familiar with the meeting said. Syrian and Israeli officials have been conducting US-mediated talks on de-escalating conflict in southern Syria. French president Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that Israel's 'military offensive' to conquer Gaza City 'can only lead to a complete disaster for both peoples,' after Israel's defence minister authorised the call-up of around 60,000 reservists. Israel's plan 'will drag the region into a permanent war,' the French president posted on social media, reiterating his call for an 'international stabilisation mission'. Iran 'cannot completely cut cooperation' with the UN nuclear watchdog but the return of its inspectors is up to the country's security chiefs, foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday. The remarks come nearly two months after Iran suspended cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency following its 12-day war with Israel in June. Prime minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday that he treats leaders of other countries with respect after his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu attacked him over his decision to recognise a Palestinian state. 'I don't take these things personally, I engage with people diplomatically. He has had similar things to say about other leaders,' Albanese said during a media briefing. A 58% majority of Americans believe that every country in the United Nations should recognise Palestine as a nation, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, as Israel and Hamas considered a possible truce in the nearly two-year-long war. 33% of respondents did not agree that UN members should recognise a Palestinian state and 9% did not answer. German prosecutors have charged a Russian national they suspect of planning an attack on the Israeli embassy in Berlin and of trying to join militant organisation Islamic State, they said on Wednesday. Prosecutors believe the accused, identified only as Akhmad E. in line with German privacy rules, obtained instructions from the Internet on how to make explosives but the plan failed as he could not get the components he needed. 6.03pm CEST 18:03 Some 154 pallets of humanitarian aid have been airdropped in the Gaza Strip today, according to the IDF. Aircraft from Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Singapore and Indonesia dropped the pallets, containing several hundred kilograms of food, according to The Times of Israel. 5.43pm CEST 17:43 President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday imposed sanctions on two judges and two prosecutors at the International Criminal Court, as Washington kept up its pressure on the war tribunal over its targeting of Israeli leaders. Washington designated Nicolas Yann Guillou of France, Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji, Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal, and Kimberly Prost of Canada, according to the US Treasury and State Department, Reuters reported. ICC judges issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli defence chief Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Ibrahim al-Masri last November for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza conflict. Guillou is an ICC judge who presided over a pre-trial panel that issued the arrest warrant for Netanyahu. Khan and Niang are the court's two deputy prosecutors. The move comes less than three months after the administration took the unprecedented step of slapping sanctions on four separate ICC judges, saying they have engaged in ICC's 'illegitimate and baseless actions' targeting the US and close ally Israel. ICC, which had slammed the move in June, describing it as an attempt to undermine the independence of the judicial institution, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 5.22pm CEST 17:22 Syria's foreign minister met Israel's strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer in Paris on Tuesday to discuss security arrangements in southern Syria, two Syrian sources familiar with the meeting said. Syrian and Israeli officials have been conducting US-mediated talks on de-escalating conflict in southern Syria. A previous round of these talks was held in Paris in late July but ended without a final accord. Syrian state news agency Sana said foreign minister Asaad al-Shibani met with an Israeli delegation on Tuesday, but did not mention Dermer. The agency said the discussions focused on de-escalation, non-interference in Syrian domestic affairs and reactivating a 1974 disengagement agreement between Israel and Syria that created a UN buffer zone in the Golan Heights. There was no public comment by the Israeli government on the meeting, Reuters reported. 5.02pm CEST 17:02 Israel's approval of a key settlement project in the West Bank undermines the chances of a two-state solution, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has said in a statement. The approval of the project in the area known as E1 'fragments… geographic and demographic unity, entrenching the division of the occupied West Bank into isolated areas and cantons that are disconnected from one another, turning them into something akin to real prisons,' the PA's foreign ministry said in a statement. The approval of the E1 project, which would bisect the occupied West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem, was announced last week by sraeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich and received final go-ahead from a defence ministry planning commission earlier today Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not commented on the E1 announcement. Updated at 5.07pm CEST 4.42pm CEST 16:42 An Israeli tank manoeuvres on the Israeli side of the border with Gaza, Israel, today. 4.12pm CEST 16:12 Peter Beaumont Israel is 'killing all prospects' for peace in the Middle East, Jordan's foreign minister has said amid escalating international outrage over Israel's plans for a new large-scale offensive in Gaza City and plans to massively expand Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Ayman Safadi made his remarks during a visit to Moscow on the same day that the Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, approved a plan to conquer Gaza City, an urban area home to hundreds of thousands of people in the north of the Palestinian territory. Echoing the sentiment, Emmanuel Macron, the French president, said that the proposed new Gaza offensive would lead to 'true disaster' and drag the region into 'permanent war'. Katz's announcement, which will lead to the mobilisation of an extra 60,000 Israeli troops, was also condemned by Germany, historically one of Israel's closest allies in Europe, which said it 'rejects the escalation' of Israel's campaign in Gaza. 3.54pm CEST 15:54 French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that Israel's 'military offensive' to conquer Gaza City 'can only lead to a complete disaster for both peoples,' after Israel's defence minister authorised the call-up of around 60,000 reservists. Israel's plan 'will drag the region into a permanent war,' the French president posted on social media, reiterating his call for an 'international stabilisation mission'. 3.36pm CEST 15:36 International aid groups say they have not yet been able to deliver shelter materials to Gaza despite Israeli authorities saying they have lifted restrictions on such supplies, and warn that further delays could cause more Palestinian deaths. Aid organisations say Israel had in effect been blocking the delivery of materials for shelters for nearly six months, with tent poles previously listed among items Israeli authorities considered could have a military as well as civilian use. With international concern over the plight of Palestinians mounting as the war in Gaza continues, Israel announced measures last month to let more aid into Gaza and said on Saturday that it would start allowing shelter materials in from the next day. But officials from five aid groups, including UN agencies, told Reuters that shelter materials needed by large numbers of displaced Palestinians were still not reaching Gaza and blamed Israeli bureaucratic hurdles. 'The United Nations and our partners been able to bring in shelter materials following the Israeli announcement,' the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), spokesperson Jens Laerke said. 3.02pm CEST 15:02 On the ground in Gaza City on Wednesday, Mustafa Qazzaat, head of the emergency committee in the Gaza municipality, described the situation as 'catastrophic' as Israel's defence minister approved a plan on Wednesday for the conquest of Gaza City. He told AFP that 'large numbers' of people were fleeing their neighbourhoods, with the majority of those displaced 'on the roads and streets without shelter.' Aida Abu Madi, a 48-year-old resident of Zeitoun, said she fled on Wednesday with her husband, children and three grandchildren to the home of relatives in western Gaza City. 'I didn't hear about Israel's decision, but I saw my neighbours fleeing, so I fled too,' she told AFP by telephone. Anis Daloul, 64, said he fled Zeitoun with his family on Sunday for a neighbourhood northwest of Gaza City. 2.34pm CEST 14:34 Jordan's foreign minister said Wednesday that Israel's assault on Gaza had caused 'massacres and starvation' and that its wider actions were 'killing all prospects' for peace in the Middle East. His comments came after Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz approved a plan to conquer Gaza City, an urban area home to hundreds of thousands of people in the north of the Palestinian territory. Most of the territory's population has been displaced since the war began, many repeatedly, according to the United Nations. Addressing Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov at a meeting in Moscow, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said he hoped to discuss 'efforts to end the aggression on Gaza, and the massacres and starvation that it is creating.' 2.12pm CEST 14:12 A fire broke out near Iran's Tabriz airport on Wednesday, with heavy smoke hanging in the city's sky, Iran's Fars news agency reported, adding operations to control the fire are ongoing. 1.52pm CEST 13:52 Iran 'cannot completely cut cooperation' with the UN nuclear watchdog but the return of its inspectors is up to the country's security chiefs, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday. The remarks come nearly two months after Iran suspended cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency following its 12-day war with Israel in June. Iran has cited the IAEA's failure to condemn Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear facilities as the reason for its decision, which saw the watchdog's inspectors leave the country following the passing of new legislation by parliament. 'We cannot completely cut cooperation with the agency,' Araghchi said, noting that new fuel rods need to be installed at Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant in the coming weeks which will require the presence of IAEA inspectors. 'Under the law passed by parliament, the return of inspectors will be possible through a decision of the Supreme National Security Council,' he told the official IRNA news agency in an interview published Wednesday, referring to Iran's top security body. 1.33pm CEST 13:33 The mayor of the nearby Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, Guy Yifrach, confirmed that Israel has approved a major settlement project on Wednesday in an area of the occupied West Bank that the international community has warned threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state. 'I am pleased to announce that just a short while ago, the civil administration approved the planning for the construction of the E1 neighbourhood,' Yifrach, said in a statement. 1.24pm CEST 13:24 Israel gave final approval on Wednesday for a controversial settlement project in the occupied West Bank that would effectively cut the territory in two, and that Palestinians and rights groups say could destroy hopes for a future Palestinian state. Settlement development in E1, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, has been under consideration for more than two decades, but was frozen due to U.S. pressure during previous administrations. The international community overwhelmingly considers Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank to be illegal and an obstacle to peace. Far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, a former settler leader, cast the approval as a rebuke to western countries that announced their plans to recognize a Palestinian state in recent weeks. 'The Palestinian state is being erased from the table not with slogans but with actions,' he said on Wednesday. 'Every settlement, every neighborhood, every housing unit is another nail in the coffin of this dangerous idea.' Updated at 1.27pm CEST 1.22pm CEST 13:22 Good afternoon, Israel will call up around 60,000 reservists before a planned offensive to take Gaza City but most forces that would operate in the Gaza Strip's largest urban centre would be active duty soldiers, an Israeli military official said on Wednesday. The call-up notices could be sent in the coming days, with reservists to report for duty in September, the military official said. 'Most of the troops that will be mobilised in this new stage will be active duty and not reservists,' said the official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity. It comes as Israel is studying Hamas' response to a proposal for a 60-day ceasefire and release of half the hostages still held in Gaza, two Israeli officials said on Tuesday, although one source reiterated that all Israeli captives must be freed for the war to end. Elsewhere: Prime minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday that he treats leaders of other countries with respect after his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu attacked him over his decision to recognise a Palestinian state. 'I don't take these things personally, I engage with people diplomatically. He has had similar things to say about other leaders,' Albanese said during a media briefing. A 58% majority of Americans believe that every country in the United Nations should recognise Palestine as a nation, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, as Israel and Hamas considered a possible truce in the nearly two-year-long war. 33% of respondents did not agree that UN members should recognise a Palestinian state and 9% did not answer. German prosecutors have charged a Russian national they suspect of planning an attack on the Israeli embassy in Berlin and of trying to join militant organisation Islamic State, they said on Wednesday. Prosecutors believe the accused, identified only as Akhmad E. in line with German privacy rules, obtained instructions from the Internet on how to make explosives but the plan failed as he could not get the components he needed. Updated at 1.50pm CEST

Israel calls up 60,000 reservists for Gaza City invasion
Israel calls up 60,000 reservists for Gaza City invasion

Telegraph

time2 hours ago

  • Telegraph

Israel calls up 60,000 reservists for Gaza City invasion

Israel will call up 60,000 reservists ahead of its controversial plan to invade and occupy Gaza City. World leaders have strongly condemned the Israeli security cabinet's decision to send forces into the city because of the potential to worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian situation for the Gazan people. But Israel Katz, the Israeli defence minister, rejected the criticism and said on Wednesday that plans had been approved to push into the city, which would include extending the service of an additional 20,000 reservists currently serving. 'We now call on our heroic soldiers in the reserves, permanent and regular ranks, to stand up in order to bring about the release of the hostages, the subjugation of Hamas, and the end of the war on the terms set by Israel,' said Mr Katz. 'I instruct you to use all tools and all power to strike the enemy until it is subdued, and to protect IDF soldiers. This is the supreme consideration, and anyone who has any complaints should contact me.' Hamas agreed on Monday to a 60-day ceasefire in return for releasing around half of the hostages it took in its raid on Israel on Oct 7. Israel's government spokesman hinted that it would reject the proposal, saying it was not interested in 'partial deals'. The new plan to invade Gaza City will look to further pile pressure on Hamas to bend towards Israel's demands, but recruiting so many reservists after nearly two years of war could be difficult. One mental health counsellor for the soldiers told The Telegraph: 'These guys are exhausted – they can't fight any more. They're broken.' Many of those extending their service are already suffering from PTSD with little time to recover, said the counsellor. Some have been sent to military prisons for refusing to return to the fighting. 'We are literally running out of soldiers and the physical and mental toll is enormous,' the counsellor added, saying that at least 16 soldiers had committed suicide this year, unable to deal with the trauma. According to Israeli army radio, the military is preparing for a 'prolonged operation of several months that will run into 2026'. However, many in Israel have had enough of the conflict and have increased pressure on the government to end the war and bring home the hostages. Thousands of people carried out a nationwide strike across the country earlier this week, blocking major roads and refusing to work. The call-up came as the country approved a controversial settlement project on Wednesday that would effectively divide the occupied West Bank, a move that Palestinians and human rights groups said could destroy plans for a future Palestinian state. Settlement development in E1, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, has been under consideration for more than two decades, but was frozen as a result of US pressure during previous administrations. Petitions against the development were rejected on Aug 6. Construction of homes could begin in around a year, with 3,500 apartments planned to expand the settlement of Maale Adumim. Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's far-Right finance minister, said: 'This reality finally buries the idea of a Palestinian state, because there is nothing to recognise and no one to recognise. 'Anyone in the world who tries today to recognise a Palestinian state will receive an answer from us on the ground.' His comments followed announcements by Britain, France, Germany, Australia and Canada that they would recognise a Palestinian state. Israel has stepped up air strikes this week despite the mounting pressure that it end the war and alleviate the suffering of the Gaza Strip's remaining inhabitants. Already at least 62,064 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in the fighting, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, which the United Nations considers reliable. On Tuesday, Israel said it had killed the terrorist who kidnapped former hostage Yarden Bibas, the father of Kfir and Ariel and husband of Shiri, who were killed in Hamas captivity. The IDF said on Tuesday that Jihad Kamal Salem Najjar died in an air strike on Aug 10. The terrorist kidnapped Mr Bibas, who was released in part of a temporary ceasefire deal in February, from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. 'A small part of my closure happened today,' he said in a statement, telling security forces: 'Thanks to you, he will be unable to hurt anyone else.'

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